


dust in the desert

by cirrus (themorninglark)



Series: rareprompts [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Australia, Gen, M/M, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 23:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4325616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themorninglark/pseuds/cirrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's so dry. Haru would hate this place," Rin remarks, gazing out ahead at the landscape of prickly brush.</p><p>"That's why it has to be <i>you</i>, Rin-chan."</p>
            </blockquote>





	dust in the desert

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mlim8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlim8/gifts).



> For Mel, who asked for NagiRin fluff. I... tried, heh.
> 
> I hope you like it! I've always wanted to write them on a holiday together.

"This is a terrible idea," Rin had said, knowing full well that wisdom had never come into the picture; not for the two of them.

Nagisa had smiled sweetly at him from miles away, an image ephemeral on the other side of a screen, and said, "Rin-chan, that's what makes it fun."

 

/

 

"Are you sleeping?"

" _Noooo._ "

"Liar," says Rin, turning up the volume on the radio. "You were totally sleeping."

Nagisa stretches his arms overhead and yawns, conspicuously. He's tossed his jacket in the backseat, on top of a wide-brimmed floppy hat and a Tupperware that contains nothing but Iwatobi cream bread.

"Eheh. You caught me."

"Hmmph," Rin mumbles.

He noses the car through a dirt road, watches the brick-red dust fly up in clouds around them.

Whether Nagisa is sleeping or not seems immaterial, at this point; there is nothing about this that does not seem surreal anyway, and everything that is dreamlike. They are in a no-man's-land in the centre of a desert, the very earth is parched and cracked, and the sun beats down mercilessly atop the roof of their rented SUV.

"It's so dry. Haru would hate this place," Rin remarks, gazing out ahead at the landscape of prickly brush.

"That's why it has to be _you_ , Rin-chan."

Rin's gaze flickers over to Nagisa, searching, wondering.

But the moment's passed, and Nagisa's been distracted by a wild wallaby on a rock; he's now trying, unsuccessfully, to wind down the window, and Rin leans over to swat him on the wrist because if the window's down the goddamned _dust_ is going to get all over the inside of the car and they can kiss their rental deposit farewell.

 

/

 

It's not that Nagisa doesn't think ahead. That's just what people think.

Sometimes, Rin thinks that Nagisa _wants_ people to think that, and then he looks at Nagisa, and he thinks, _nah_. Next moment, he's changing his mind again as those bright eyes narrow at him, half-lidded and knowing.

Nagisa does think ahead. Nagisa thinks ahead - _too much_.

His mind is boundless, a sprawling galaxy of possibilities, every star a shining _maybe_ and _why not_ and _yes!_ , and when he tries to wind down the window he is thinking about the dust, no doubt; but he is also thinking about the wallaby and the wildlife and how wondrous it is just on the other side of the glass, and how amazing the world is.

 

/

 

It's very _bucket list_ , this entire endeavour.

The ridiculous hat shades most of Nagisa's face. Rin dares to admit to himself, for strictly no longer than half a second, that he wishes he had something like that. His pale skin does not like the sun even in Sydney. He can feel the beginnings of a burn pricking the back of his neck.

It doesn't change the fact that the hat is, in fact, ridiculous.

"Hurry, Rin-chan!" Nagisa calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. "It's almost sunset!"

In the still, sticky sweat of the evening, his cry echoes round the sandstone in the valley.

Calling, calling his name -

_Rin-chan_

Rin listens, to a voice that grows softer and softer as it recedes into memory.

 

/

 

And when they finally make it to Uluru, everything goes silent.

 

/

 

(Even Nagisa.)

 

/

 

"Why?" Rin whispers, as they watch the sun go down in a panorama of crimson and ochre, as its last rays spill over the surface of the rock and set it ablaze.

Nagisa turns, face aglow. He looks smaller than ever in the shadow of Uluru. Rin thinks that he, too, probably does as well; Uluru has a way of dwarfing everything else around it. He has to remind himself that Nagisa's not as small as he used to be.

"Why did you want to come here?"

Nagisa takes a breath. When he answers, he's quiet, and his hands are clasped behind his back.

"Because I heard it was beautiful."

"That sounds like something Rei would say."

"Rin- _chan_ ," says Nagisa, "I'm allowed to find _some_ things beautiful too, right?"

He nudges Rin, gently.

Rin smiles. He gazes out back towards Uluru, towards the light that flickers in the distance. He still can't quite believe they pulled this off, the two of them, on a whim and a hastily-booked plane ticket. But then again, if not the two of them, then who?

"Romantic, isn't it?" he says, the old words rising to his lips almost unconsciously.

Nagisa's laugh is warm.

"I knew you'd say that, Rin-chan."

 

/

 

Nagisa falls asleep on the drive back to their hotel. He doesn't try to hide it this time. He curls up, head resting against the window, arms hugging his knees.

This time, Rin lets him sleep.

This time, Rin lets himself reach out, and run a fond hand through those blond curls, fingers teasing lightly round the curve of Nagisa's ear. His palm comes away stained, streaked with that ever-present dust.

He brushes it off on the front of his jacket, and it leaves a red print over his heart.

 


End file.
